Birds' ninth-inning rally falls short against Fayetteville

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (April 13, 2019) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans scored four runs on three hits in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it was ultimately not enough as the Fayetteville Woodpeckers held on to win 6-4 at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark on Saturday night. 

Fayetteville (6-4) led 6-0 going into the ninth inning and Joey Gonzalez retired the first two men in the ninth, but he was lifted from the game after working three innings without allowing a hit. Tommy DeJuneas entered the game and allowed a ground-rule double to Jimmy Herron on the first pitch he threw. 
Carlos Sepulveda then slapped a single through the left side of the infield to plate Herron and put the Birds (2-8) on the board. After Miguel Amaya was hit by a pitch, Luke Reynolds doubled off the wall in right field to score both Sepulveda and Amaya and make it 6-3 Fayetteville. The next batter, Kevonte Mitchell , reached on an error, allowing Reynolds to score and draw the Pelicans within a 6-4 deficit. With the tying run at the plate, the Pelicans were turned away. 
After Javier Assad (0-2) held the Woodpeckers off the scoreboard through the first three innings, Corey Julks blasted a solo homer to left field in the fourth to put a run on the board for Fayetteville. The Woodpeckers added another run in the fifth inning after Michael Papierski came home to score on an error to give Fayetteville a 2-0 lead. 
Jonathan Arauz scored another run in the seventh after he double and later came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. 
In the eighth, Fayetteville tagged the Birds for four runs on five hits in the inning including four-straight hits to start the inning. 
Cesar Rosado (1-0) was credited with the win for Fayetteville after he went 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings and struck out three while walking three as well. 
The Birds will look to even the series at two games apeice on Sunday at 6:05 in the fourth and final game of the series. Erling Moreno (0-1, 29.70) will make his second start of the year against Cristian Javier (1-0, 0.00) for the Woodpeckers. 
Sunday will also be Family Sunday, courtesy of Anderson Brothers Bank, WPDE and 94.5 The Tide, featuring free inflatables, kid-friendly themes and much more. Additionally, fans can enjoy a Postgame Fireworks Extravaganza thanks to East Coast Pyrotechnics. 
The 2019 season is the 21st season for the Pelicans franchise and fifth as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For tickets visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/tickets, call (843) 918-6000, or visit the Pelicans Box Office.
ABOUT THE PELICANS: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and play their home games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in six of the last seven seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences and the best in the Carolina League for six of the past seven seasons. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has won four Mills Cup Championships, including claims to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2015 and 2016. The Pelicans have made 11 postseason appearances behind 13 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or email [email protected].